Electricity Today T&D Magazine – Intelligent Transformers & Substations 2026 Special Edition

In this issue, we take a focused look at how intelligent substations and transformers are becoming the data backbone of the modern grid. As utilities digitize protection and monitoring functions, technologies such as IEC 61850 networking, online dissolved gas analysis, and AI-driven diagnostics are becoming essential to reliability and asset management.

Intelligent substations built around IEDs and standardized IEC 61850 messaging now deliver continuous visibility into breaker, transformer, and feeder conditions, while rigorous recloser testing ensures automated protection schemes perform as designed. Power transformer monitoring is shifting from periodic sampling to continuous sensing, giving utilities early warning of developing faults before they become catastrophic failures. Meanwhile, AI is reshaping both substation operations and transformer oil diagnostics, turning raw sensor data into predictive maintenance, smarter fault classification, and fleet-wide risk rankings, all while smart grid technologies like DERMS, FLISR, and PMUs extend situational awareness across the distribution network.

Together, these developments reflect a clear industry movement toward smarter, more resilient, and more connected grid assets. This edition brings these themes together to help professionals understand the technologies and engineering practices that define the next generation of transformer and substation intelligence.

Read Our Feature Articles

• Optimizing Distribution Reliability Through Recloser Testing
• Intelligent Substations: The Digital Foundation of the Modern Grid
• Power Transformer Monitoring and Communications: Protecting the Grid’s Most Critical Assets
• Smart Grid and Substations: Where Grid Modernization Takes Shape
• AI Integration in Substations: From Data Collection to Intelligent Decisions
• AI Integration in Transformer Oil Diagnostics: A New Era for Dissolved Gas Analysis